This invention relates to an electronic control apparatus for a vehicle which is attached to an instrument panel in a vehicle and controls a vehicle's electronic equipment through a local area network (LAN) installed in the vehicle.
Heretofore, a LAN in vehicle has included electronic equipments such as an air compressor, a suspension control, a compact disc (CD) changer and the like and communication cables such as wire harnesses and the like which interconnect such electronic equipments. An apparatus which controls the electronic equipments through the vehicle LAN may be formed together with a car audio unit or the like, which is fitted into an accommodating cavity in the center of an instrument panel in the vehicle.
Such an electronic control apparatus installed in a vehicle includes an electronic control section which controls the respective electronic equipments and a switch section having manual switches connected to the respective electronic equipments whereby a driver operates the equipments by the switches. The electronic control section has a communication function part of the vehicle LAN. The communication function part serves as a LAN manager which controls the electronic equipments through the vehicle LAN by way of time-division multiplex communication. The switch section is detachably coupled to the electronic control section by a simple interface, through which command signals from the manual switches are transferred to the electronic control section.
The driver can control the respective electronic equipments through the communication function part of the electronic control section by operating the manual switches of the vehicle electronic control apparatus, thereby enabling playback of a CD or turning on an air conditioner.
In general, a vehicle is provided with equipments or devices commensurate with its price. Thus, expensive vehicles are provided with various electronic equipments such as a car navigation system, audio system having a CD changer and the like, which cheaper vehicles are provided with only a cassette deck. Thus, electronic control apparatuses LAN include various types of equipment. Only in more expensive cars having various extra electronic equipuments fitted therein is an electronic control apparatus required with communication function part serving as a LAN manager. Consequently, it is necessary to prepare a vehicle electronic control apparatus or its electronic control section specific to the type of car. This results in an increase in the number of types of vehicle electronic equipment or electronic control section, an increase in the kinds of parts to be managed in the process and increased costs.